County Cups

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE FansFocus.Com SENIOR CUP
 
 

BASILDON UTD   3 - 4   HALSTEAD TOWN
 
Adam Swindells' late winner secured Halstead Town's passage into the Third Round of the FansFocus.Com Essex Senior Cup as they edged a seven-goal thriller at Gardiners Close.

Swindells was the recipient of some good fortune as he latched onto a loose ball inside the Basildon United penalty area following Anthony Hughes' fine point-blank save from Steve Daly's initial header.

Hughes, the Basildon goalkeeper, was one of a number of new faces in the hosts' starting line-up after John Higley, the club's former manager, was dismissed at the weekend. Only Garry Morrison, Eugene Yeboah-Afari and Paul Talbot have been regular starters for United this season, with the remainder constituting the Essex Senior League outfit's Reserve and Youth sides.

The tie started slowly, with both teams trying to work out their unfamiliar opponents. Basildon have recorded just two victories this season - in their first two matches of the term - and their lack of confidence was belied when Anton Dwyer bundled in the opener as Town 'keeper Paul Rutherford fumbled Garry Morrison's cross on 22 minutes.

Halstead had looked sharp, having had the game's first chance when Wayne Saunders nodded comfortably into Hughes' gloves, and the shot-stopper had to be on his mettle just after the goal to turn Chris Bryan's strong shot into the side-netting.

Just a few minutes later, the visitors were level. Steve Daly galloped into the penalty area and was clipped by James Cross, with referee Jim Pope pointing to the penalty spot. Daly then stepped-up himself to dispatch a powerful penalty into the top left-hand corner of the net.

By now Town were rampant and a low Daly effort was deflected wide by Yeboah-Afari, whilst at the other end a similar fate befell David Walker's fierce attempt. Finally, three minutes before half-time, Halstead took the lead, Hughes beating away Bryan's initial effort, only for the forward to recover possession and square to Saunders, who drove low into the bottom corner.

Hughes was called upon to parry a Bryan header at the end of the first period and then raced off of his line to spread himself against a Swindells shot as the second half got underway, though he was beaten on 54 minutes. Bryan earned reward for his hard work up front, latching on to Saunders' pass to convert.

If the Ridgeons League team though they had sealed victory, they were to be proved wrong as Basildon launched a rollicking fight-back. Firstly, just after the hour, Rutherford was adjudged to have held a United defender and Robert Pudney blasted the resultant spot-kick into the very top right-hand corner.

Then, some ten minutes later, the home side equalised, Sam Hallybone sliding the ball into the path of Walker. Halstead skipper John Pollard just beat the forward onto the ball, only to slip it past Rutherford for Dwyer to touch into the net.

With the game evenly poised, it was Halstead who sealed the win, though they did so just eight minutes from the end. Bryan was again the instigator, with his swirling cross met by Daly's excellent header after a well-timed run. Hughes was equal to that, but he had no answer as Swindells swept the rebound into the net through a crowded penalty area.

Basildon United: Anthony Hughes, James Cross, Paul Talbot, Eugene Yeboah-Afari, Richard Heywood, Robert Pudney, Sam Hallybone, Oliver Hadley (Chris Reid, 75), Anton Dwyer, David Walker, Garry Morrison. Unused Substitutes: Reece Rassmussen and Kenny Bartrup.

Halstead Town: Paul Rutherford, Seb Murfet, Marcus Warren, John Pollard, Mark Emberson, Adam Bethell (Luke Passfield, 14), Adam Swindells, Wayne Saunders, Chris Bryan, Steve Daly, Louis Harper (Darren Bethell, 63). Unused Substitutes: Paul Abrahams and Danny Powell.

Bookings: Basildon: Morrison (12, unsporting behaviour), Dwyer (54, delaying the restart of play), Hadley (65, unsporting behaviour), Talbot (93, unsporting behaviour).

Referee: Jim Pope (Braintree).

Assistant Referees: Stuart Gillman (Wivenhoe) and Carl Richardson (Leigh-on-Sea).

Attendance: 39.

Man Of The Match: Chris Bryan (Halstead Town) - Bryan just pips his nemesis, Anthony Hughes, who pulled off a number of show-stopping saves in the Basildon goal. Having scored one and played a part in two others, Bryan led the line with intelligence and consistently required attention from the Basildon defence.